TWD ~ Daryl + Reader ~

Strange Eyes

As Jesus ran for the gate the growls of the walkers behind him got quieter, but they hobbled behind him none the less. When he got halfway to the gate his eyes met Andy's. The closer Jesus got the more he hoped that Andy was still the same person.

The argument-like conversation he had with you earlier that day was playing through his head. With all your heart you knew that Andy was still the same, but Jesus was still unsure. And he knew he was right to be when he got three-fourths of the way to the gate.

Andy has his gun pointed right at Jesus. Jesus stops with his hands in the air and a confused look on his face. A part of Andy was telling him to shoot Jesus no questions asked, but another part was keeping him from doing it. The part that loves Jesus, the part that hopes Jesus still loves him, the part that can't bear to lose him. It's screaming, 'Don't shoot him! Put the gun down! Don't shoot him! You love him!'

Jesus sees Andy's hand trembling and decides to start walking towards the gate, with the sound of the walkers getting louder. He keeps his hands up and his eyes fixed on Andy. When he finally gets to the gate, he sees the fear in Andy's eyes as clear as day.

"You're not gonna shoot me are you?" Jesus smirks at him.

"I should." Andy's eyes fill with tears, with every muscle in his hand telling him to pull the trigger, "I'm supposed to."

"But you don't have to." Jesus drops his smile and puts his hands on the gate in front of him. "You know me, Andy."

"It doesn't matter if I know you!" Andy hollers, "It doesn't even matter if I love you, I'm supposed to-"

"No." Jesus moves as close to the gate as he can. "You're not gonna shoot me, you can't shoot me." Andy's eyes soften as tears stream down his face, "You wanna know why?"

"Why?" Andy asks with a voice crack at the end.

"Because you love me, Andy," the growling of the walkers gets louder as they get closer, "and I love you."

"But I-"

"Look at me, Andy, you really gonna- shit!" Jesus turns and quickly grabs his knife as a walker tries to bite him from the back. But before it can bite him a shot rings and it falls to the ground.

With his eyes wide, Jesus turns to look at Andy, who's now unlocking the gate before the other walkers get too much closer.

"Hurry up and get in here, before the saviors get out here." Jesus slides through the small gap at Andy made by opening the gate. "Get under that car over there, none of them use it."

Jesus goes to walk to the car but before he can he turns around and asks, "Why did you... I thought you-"

Andy pulls Jesus to him with his right arm that's still holding the gun. Andy quickly kisses him leaving Jesus in ah as Andy pulls away.

"It's like you said," Andy pecks him on the lips once more, "I love you." Andy presses their foreheads together, but quickly pulls his away when he hears footsteps coming towards them. "Now go hide under that car."

Jesus smirks at Andy, then runs for the car and slides under just before the saviors get too close.

As he lays under the car he thinks about how quickly Andy's attitude changed, how he never used to be like that. How it was like Andy was fighting between two parts of himself. But Jesus also knows that you were right, that the Andy he loves is still in there, he might just need help letting that part of him out again.

. . .

You're still in your room, now pacing back and forth, waiting for Jesus to come back through the gates so you can stop worrying. But you also know that even with him being gone for a few hours now, he isn't going to be back for a while.

You sit down at your desk, trying to take your mind off of Jesus being gone. Your eyes land on the different lists of complaints that Negan had to read every time he came to Hilltop. Most of the lists have lines crossed through the unimportant complaints and circles around the ones he found important. Though, when your eyes look at the sheets from 4 months ago you remember that Negan never looked at them.

That was the time when Negan killed Michael for touching you. Negan stayed with you for three days, and yet he never looked at that complaint sheet. He spent his time with you, not caring what his men thought. 

Negan stayed in your bed not wanting to leave you alone. Though nothing too serious happened with Michael you still had nightmares about it for a few nights that followed. You thought it was comforting to wake up and have someone right there beside you that seemed to care. 

In those nights you didn't care what he had done to people or what hurt he had caused you. You were just happy that he truly cared enough to stay with you. Though, the way that he left wasn't the best way. It was the fourth morning that he would've stayed with you and you woke up to an empty bed and a note on the side stand. 

Which the note is now sitting on the desk right in front of you. You open the slip of paper to read it once again. 

'(Y/N), I know you're probably mad right now that I'm not next to you. But if I would be saying this in person I wouldn't have been able to leave. And my men are really agitated and are calling me weak for not leaving before now. 

Anyways, I want you to know that you are strong and you don't need me to help you through this. Sure, I'm still going to keep all of my men away from you and if I ever hear of another man coming close you I'll kill them, but still... you can take care of yourself and you can heal with or without me. 

I will see you in two months. Don't do anything stupid before then.'

You smile at the memories of Negan staying with you those few nights. But you find that smile dissipating when you realize that he is and never was as nice and loving as he led you to believe he was. 

A part of you wishes that it wasn't true, but you all of your being knows that he is not someone you can care for. Though, this doesn't keep you from hoping that you can change him for the better. Whether it be with your love or someone else's.